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I am a bad parent ...
- Thread starter ZKaudio
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SofaGeorge
New member
For most of the last year I've taken care of a 16 year old girl from Germany. She is a foriegn exchange student. I am her host "dad." She has been a true blessing, intelligent, hard working, tons of fun to have around. She has been very sports active all year, first volleyball, then water polo, now swim team.
Today is the last day of swim season. She wants me to drive her to the meet and watch her swim. It is her very last competition.
The problem is I don't want to go. Swim meets are the most boring thing in the world. They are pure tedium to sit through.. and you only see your kid swim for 5 minutes out of about a 4 hour meet.
She's going to call me in 5 minutes to pick her up at school and drive her to the meet.
Today is the last day of swim season. She wants me to drive her to the meet and watch her swim. It is her very last competition.
The problem is I don't want to go. Swim meets are the most boring thing in the world. They are pure tedium to sit through.. and you only see your kid swim for 5 minutes out of about a 4 hour meet.
She's going to call me in 5 minutes to pick her up at school and drive her to the meet.
muscle_geek
New member
Go to the swim meet!!
On a side note: I'm always careful about posting anything kid related here. Right now, there are several pervs out there that can't decide whether to post a perverted response to this. You know who you are.
On a side note: I'm always careful about posting anything kid related here. Right now, there are several pervs out there that can't decide whether to post a perverted response to this. You know who you are.
TheProject
New member
I don't have kids, but to me, being a parent doesn't mean you always want to watch the things your child does...it means you will.
SofaGeorge
New member
I'm home. I dropped her and two of her friends off at the school. My guilt is assuaged by the fact that they were all looking to duck out early too. They arranged with one of the mom's to pick them up early so they didn't have to stay for the full meet.
Swim is boring even for the kids that do it.
When she gets home we are going to get Mongolian Barbeque and go see X-Men II.
Swim is boring even for the kids that do it.
When she gets home we are going to get Mongolian Barbeque and go see X-Men II.
SofaGeorge
New member
nice6pac said:
That brings back a very funny memory.
I used to live in London. The first couple weeks that I lived there I met a great girl named Jenny, gorgeous red head, very smart and fun. I made a date with her to go out to one of the clubs. The night of our first date she called me to tell me "good news." Her dad (gag!) had gotten tickets to the Royal Opera Company (gag!) and her Uncle Roy was going to be able to come too. (triple gag!) I figured I'd be a good sport about it... but I was planning on the most boring night of my life.
I rode the subway with Jenny, her dad, and Uncle Roy (the guy was 81!) to the Royal Opera House. There wasn't too much chit chat out of the ordinary on the way. Her dad and Uncle Roy basically just wanted to find out a little bit about the Yank who wanted to date Jenny. We got to the opera house... got our seats... watched the first act of the dance performance. (The show turned out to be the Royal Ballet Company.) It was actually a really good show - then the first intermission came. I was a little lost at that point. I couldn't figure out why we were having an intermission so early. Jenny grabbed my arm and half pulled me out of my seat. Her dad and Uncle Roy were already racing toward the lobby. So was half the theatre. I asked Jenny what the rush was. She said, "We've got to get pissed." Pissed is how the English describe drunk. Uncle Roy, her dad, Jenny, and I... and half the audience... including a couple of the dancers slammed down drinks. Then we went back for the next act. Then we raced to get more drinks during the next intermission. There were something like 5 intermissions... and by the last one nearly every person in the theatre was stinking drunk. This was supposed to be the cream of society. People were flying paper airplanes down from the balcony. It was a total hoot.
On the way home we stopped at another pub so that Jenny and her dad could tell me Uncle Roy's story. Uncle Roy, it turns out, was a legendary war hero... someone it was considered a great honor to meet. During WWII he got captured by the Germans... sent to a prison camp in France or Germany... and escaped. Then he spent 2 years living in the sewers... making his way to freedom... and acting as a one man sabatour to slow down German operations. He blew up trucks, bridges, did all sorts of crazy stuff.
Finally, we dropped Uncle Roy and her dad off at their stop. Jenny came with me to make sure I could navigate the subways and find my way home. We got off our tube stop and started walking through pitch black alley at 2:00am in the morning. Jenny was still in her evening dress as we walked through the alley... but then I noticed she was kicking off her shoes. I looked up and she was stopped in front of a giant wrecking truck... it was a 2 story monstrosity of cage and steel... a prehistoric machine not even seen anymore in the modern world. Moonlight caught her eyes, and they were glowing with a kind of crazy excitement as she looked at the truck... and then to me. She looked at me and asked, "Have you ever done it on top of a wrecking truck?"
As we both climbed the sides of the cage towards the top, I thought the same thing about that day that I think now - I thought it was going to be the most boring day of my life.
Last edited:
SofaGeorge
New member
Dawookie said:
It was a damned good wrecking truck.
I think being a parent is the toughest job in the world. You worry all the time if you are doing things right. I know that I screw up sometimes, mostly when I'm tired. I just try to give her all the love that I can. Let her know that no matter what she does I will always love her. Unlike in Romantic Love where that Love often depends on certain conditions and expectations being met.
Big Johnson
New member
He'll never look at the high dive the same way.
Seriously, just look for people to talk to, or work your sphincter to failure while you wait.
There's always zen meditation. I pull off counting my breaths to ten almost anywhere, and its very relaxing.
Most of the time I'm looking for those tell-tale signs women use to let you know they are receptive. You need to be on your toes to catch those - some are even disguised as a very rotten, unfriendly expressions or hostile looks, but those are usually the easiest to bag once you figure it out
Seriously, just look for people to talk to, or work your sphincter to failure while you wait.
There's always zen meditation. I pull off counting my breaths to ten almost anywhere, and its very relaxing.
Most of the time I'm looking for those tell-tale signs women use to let you know they are receptive. You need to be on your toes to catch those - some are even disguised as a very rotten, unfriendly expressions or hostile looks, but those are usually the easiest to bag once you figure it out
SofaGeorge
New member
Dial_tone said:
She may not say anything, bro - but she does care.
I sat through all my daughter's volleyball games and water polo matches. Most of the kids never have a parent even come to the games. I knew one dad who busted his ass to shuffle his schedule to make two games. He felt bad that that was all he could do - but job demands were heavy for him - but he was still going to make sure he came at least once.
My girlfriend was talking to a bunch of the girls one day who were on the JV and Varsity vollyball teams. The girls didn't know she was my girlfriend. She said that when they found out she was my girlfriend they all lit up like Christmas trees saying, "He comes to every one of our games!" She described it as being akin to being a mini celebrity in their eyes. It means a lot to these kids to have parents come to the games.
There was one goofy old guy who I used to se at the games. He could barely walk to sit in the bleachers he was so ancient. The girls treated him like gold... bringing him sodas and stopping to chat with him. I asked my daughter if he was somebody's relative. Nope. Why was he so popular with the kids? She gave the simplest answer: "Because he comes to all our games."
It means a lot.
